


Of Bottle Rockets and Variable Stars

by Etwas_Schlau



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - Normal Life, Astronomy, Character Development, Constellations, Developing Friendships, Developing Relationship, F/F, Fireworks, First Meetings, Fluff, Fourth of July, Getting to Know Each Other, Holidays, Meet-Cute, Military Backstory, Moving On, Nerd Peridot (Steven Universe), One Shot, POV Third Person Limited, Past Jasper/Lapis Lazuli (Steven Universe) - Freeform, Past Tense, Polyamorous Character, Polyamory, Stargazing, Threesome - F/F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-04
Updated: 2017-07-04
Packaged: 2018-11-23 09:35:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,766
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11399883
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Etwas_Schlau/pseuds/Etwas_Schlau
Summary: A poorly stocked fireworks store, a fight over the last package of Roman candles, and an invitation to a stranger's Fourth of July party make for much more than Peridot expected from a day off work on a summer holiday.





	Of Bottle Rockets and Variable Stars

**Author's Note:**

> **Note:** I do not own Steven Universe. All rights to the cartoon and its characters belong to Rebecca Sugar.
> 
> holy shit there's so many characters rip. I had planned for this to be around 1k but oops, look what happened lmao. happy capitalism holiday or whatever lol

Peridot carded a hand through her messy peroxide blonde locks, a sigh puffing out her freckled cheeks. She knew she should have come sooner. Her lime green eyes scanned shelf after empty shelf, already picked clean by customers who had arrived earlier. It wasn’t her fault the first of July was the only day off she could schedule!

The drive to the fireworks store was a trek and a half for Peridot, the only shop worth going to was miles from her apartment. The car trip there alone took an hour and a half and the shop closed at seven, so there was no way she could make it after work. The short girl bitterly wished she had blown off her shift and driven to the store a few weeks ago when it was still teeming with all kinds of dangerous explosives.

Pushing her small shopping cart through another barren aisle, Peridot’s heart skipped a beat as she saw a large value pack of fireworks. Picking up the glossy paper-wrapped box, she gazed at the images of multicolour rockets exploding mid-air with stars in her eyes. Her heart constricted almost painfully in her chest, however, as her awed gaze fell upon the product’s price.

 _Two hundred dollars!?_ Peridot placed the box back with the utmost care. She didn’t even have that much money in her bank account! With a disgruntled mutter, she glared down at the few items in her cart. The only things she had found were some firecrackers and a pack of whistling rockets (which had proven dangerous in the past due to their unpredictable trajectory.)

Patience running thin, Peridot rounded an endcap of cheap sparklers, stepping into the last aisle of the store. To her relief, right beneath a hanging sign reading ‘Roman Candles’ was one remaining package of six 12-shot fireworks. She grinned widely, reaching for the item…

Only for her fingertips to collide with another hand.

Blue eyes met green, wide with surprise. Peridot looked the newcomer up and down; she had tan skin, ripped skinny jeans, black Doc Martens, and a grey hoodie, despite the heat. The most striking thing about her, however, was her bright blue, shoulder-length hair. The two women stared at each other quizzically for a moment before they remembered what they were doing, both grabbing the package of Roman candles and tugging.

“Hey!” Peridot squeaked, holding tight to the fireworks. “I need those!”

“So do I,” deadpanned the blue-haired stranger.

“I found them first!”

“My friends are having a party, they’ll eat me alive if I show up empty-handed.” Peridot faltered, unsure how to argue with that. The mysterious woman noticed her distraction and yanked the rockets from her hands, tearing an indignant yelp from the the freckled girl.

“Hey!”

“You snooze you lose, blondie.” Peridot pouted and the woman glanced down at her almost-empty cart, quirking an eyebrow. “You don’t look like you have much of a haul there.”

“I don’t,” she retorted bitterly. “This is all that’s left.”

The blue-haired girl sighed, leaning against the shelf beside her. “Tell you what, why don’t you come to my friends’ party? They have a place just outside the city, it’ll be fifteen people at most.”

Peridot furrowed her brows, eying the other woman skeptically. "Why would you let me come? I don’t even know you.”

“Because I’m a nice person,” she replied, shrugging. A suggestive smirk spread across her lips as she continued. “Plus, you’re pretty cute.”

A light blush stained the blonde’s cheeks and she looked away. The blue-haired woman laughed, withdrawing a pen from her jacket pocket and scribbling something on the back of the package of Roman candles before pushing them into Peridot’s hands.

“That’s the address, things kick off around ten. Bring whatever you have, firecrackers, smoke balls, whatever. And by the way, my name is Lapis," the girl added, smoothly sliding past the other woman.

"P-Peridot! I'm Peridot!" the freckled girl stuttered out, turning around to face Lapis. But she was already striding toward the exit, leaving her flustered, surprised, and alone in the store.

**~*~**

Peridot swallowed thickly, nervously drumming her fingers on the steering wheel. Her eyes darted to the green illuminated digital clock on the car radio; it was nine thirty. Anxiety bubbled in her belly and she chewed her lip without thinking.

Her mind was running wild with questions. Would Lapis’ friends like her? Would they be disappointed with what she brought? What if they were secretly creeps or murderers? Would she even be able to find the right house?

The blonde took a deep breath, shaking the thoughts from her head and focusing on the road ahead of her. After a few minutes of driving, she slowed as she reached a long gravel driveway. Beside the path was a wooden post with metal numbers matching the address Lapis has written. Peridot flicked on her signal and turned into the driveway, proceeding slowly.

The path was winding and bumpy and it disappeared into tree cover a few car lengths in. Peridot admired the trees apprehensively, wondering what she was getting herself into. As the driveway straightened out, it widened into a large gravel pad beneath a mighty oak tree where multiple cars were parked. Next to the oak were four white pines trees in a row, an old stone path in the middle leading to a two-story farmhouse.

Peridot parked by all the other vehicles, turning off the engine and taking a moment to breathe before collecting her bag of fireworks and stepping out of the car. The yard was massive, some spaces open while others were heavily wooded like a forest. A large red barn, metal sides rusted with age, sat by the edge of the mowed lawn to the north and a short, slim stone building lurked in the darkness by another line of pine trees. Everything was very foreign and overwhelming to the blonde and she quickly shuffled toward the house.

The lights were on inside and a single outside light by the front door lit up a stone patio decorated with an outdoor table and chairs with an umbrella. The front door lead to an attached room that almost looked like a storage area. Peridot approached uneasily, stepping onto the porch and lightly knocking on the second door which had a wide window mostly covered by some sort of fruit-print vinyl cover.

The door opened shortly after, a tall, intimidating woman with dark skin, a large black afro, and reflective sunglasses standing in its place. The blonde’s eyes went as wide as saucers and she opened her mouth to speak but faltered, unsure what to say.

“You must be Peridot,” the woman greeted warmly, extending a hand toward the shorter girl. She shook her hand weakly, heart pounding in her chest. “Lapis told us you’d be coming, I’m Garnet. Come on in.”

Garnet lead the other woman through the kitchen and into the living room where a lithe, pale-skinned woman bustled back and forth while Lapis and an unfamiliar purple-haired woman sat on the couch. On the far side of the room, two tall girls with short hair dyed yellow and light blue spoke to one another quietly, the latter blushing profusely. Lapis quickly stood, grinning.

“Peridot, you made it!” she strode over the the blonde, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. “Everyone, this is Peridot. Peridot, meet Garnet, Amethyst, Pearl, Zircon, and Zircon.” A chorus of hello’s came from the room and Peridot struggled to think of what to say.

“Two Zircons, huh? How do you tell each other apart?” she joked nervously, scratching the back of her neck.

“Just call me Zircon A, and her Zircon B,” the dandelion-haired one replied with a laugh.

“Hey, why do you get to be A?” the other girl interjected indignantly.

“Because I’m the alpha Zircon!” Peridot chuckled lightly as the second Zircon punched the first in the shoulder.

“We just call them Yellow and Blue,” Garnet added with a smile.

“Anyway, we should start setting up outside, it’s getting late,” Pearl announced, eying the analog clock on the wall by the television.

“Late? It’s only ten o’clock, P!” Amethyst objected.

“When your normal bedtime is nine p.m, ten o’clock is just madness,” Lapis deadpanned with a playful smirk. The whole room erupted in laughter (aside from Pearl who looked both agitated and embarrassed,) and Peridot smiled, feeling herself already beginning to fit in with the new people.

The group then started moving everything outside. Pearl and Amethyst laid blankets out in the barnyard, Peridot helped Garnet carry the fireworks out, the Zircons collected snacks, and Lapis set up tiki torches in the grass. During the preparation, two other people arrived; a tall, beefy blonde woman named Topaz and a short, somewhat annoying blue-haired girl named Aquamarine. Peridot noted that dyed hair was popular amongst the friend group.

Just as Peridot introduced herself to the redheaded identical twins Ru and Tile who had just popped in on their three-wheeled motorcycle, the crackling of gravel under tires alerted everyone of another newcomer. A newcomer who was coming up the driveway at tremendous speed.

Pearl screeched as a doorless Jeep shot past everyone else’s cars, driving into the barnyard and circling in a figure eight before zooming by and parking crookedly by the oak tree. A massively tall, muscular woman with wild ash blonde hair and camouflage army fatigues jumped out of the car, grinning like a cat.

“Miss me?” she taunted to no one in particular before striding over to Lapis. The blue headed girl pushed Peridot behind her as Jasper approached and promptly punched her in the gut, only slightly winding the athletic woman.

“You’re an asshole,” she growled, though Peridot could tell there was muted warmth behind the animosity in Lapis’ voice.

“Wait a minute, who’s this short little drink of water, Lazuli?” she replied, ignoring the comment and directing her feline eyes towards the freckled girl.

Lapis sighed deeply. “Jasper, this is Peridot. I met her at the fireworks place. Peridot, this is Jasper, my ex,” she punctuated the end of her sentence by glaring daggers at the burly woman.

“Aw, come on, don’t say it like that, Lazuli. I’ve changed! I got my act together in the army.” Turning to Peridot, Jasper winked. “Head my way if you want to play with a _real_ woman.”

Peridot was stunned to silence, but Lapis came to her rescue, shoving Jasper away. “Leave her alone, you perv.” With a good natured chuckle, the brawny woman wandered across the yard to receive a scolding from Pearl about leaving tire tracks in the lawn.

“So,” Peridot muttered awkwardly after quite a bit of silence. “The ex, huh?”

“That was a long time ago,” Lapis replied darkly before adding almost reassuringly, “I’ve moved past her.”

Peridot’s mouth fell open. Was Lapis trying to say she was available? Realizing what she’d just said, blue eyes widened and met green, mouth opening to defend herself but no words coming out.

As if she could sense the building tension, Garnet then spoke up. “Alright everybody, pick a seat! The show’s about to start.”

Lapis led Peridot to a blanket by the cars while the Zircons snuggled together on theirs. Topaz sat with Aquamarine, the Rutile twins shared as well, and Pearl sat closest to where Garnet would be setting the fireworks off. Jasper tried to slide in next to Pearl while suggestively whispering about getting comfortable, but she was quickly booted away, Amethyst taking her place.

“Is everybody ready?” Garnet yelled.

The answer was a resounding yes and ten pairs of eyes watched the tall woman’s silhouette crouch down to the dirt, her hands lighting up with a faint orange glow from the flame of her lighter. The wick of the first Roman candle caught quickly and hissed as the fire crept closer to the barrel.

Then suddenly a green flare shot into the air with a slight whistle, popping in the air, bright neon emerald like an alien tractor beam. Next came red, then yellow, then magenta. Each colour came with a different shape, corkscrews, spirals, and starbursts lighting up the night sky.

Before the rocket stopped shooting, Garnet had masterfully lit two volcano fireworks which spouted sparks of silver, gold, and bronze from opposite sides of the yard. The projectiles went twenty feet in the air, curving into delicate arcs while other parts glowed and popped low to the ground.

Peridot felt like a child again, watching the show with awe and wonder. For a glorious moment, everything else faded into the background; it was just her, the fireworks, and a plethora of new friends. Eleven faces stared to the sky, mouths agape and eyes sparkling. Garnet too got caught up in the spectacle, almost forgetting to light the next bottle rocket.

Whistling fireworks were lit, shooting dangerously close to the watching spectators and their cars. No more whistling fireworks were lit.

Jasper managed to sneak from her seat to light a bag of smoke bombs, throwing them all around the others and earning a collection of outcries (though everyone appreciated the faint colours of smoke wisps blowing gracefully in the breeze.)

After thirty minutes, Garnet took a break from fireworks and handed out sparklers. Topaz lit the tiki torches, dimly lighting the yard and making things a bit more comfortable. Amethyst ran to the house and back, bringing out an old style boombox and tuning it to a hip-hop radio station, much to the disdain (yet secret enjoyment) of Pearl. The Rutile twins stood on either sides of the yard spinning their lit sparklers in big circles and soon everyone else too was standing and waving their sparklers, trying to draw shapes and words.

Aquamarine lit firecrackers by the dozen and threw them across the grass, resounding pops and cracks echoing through the yard. Garnet and Pearl, after thoroughly warning everyone not to replicate what they were about to do, positioned themselves about thirty feet apart before lighting their sparklers. With practiced precision, they danced an elegant routine with their tiny fireworks, spinning one another and moving their bodies around in the golden glow.

Peridot suddenly got an idea, wanting to do something she could show off too. She collected two sparklers from the pile by a tiki torch and stepped over to Garnet.

“Hey, can I use your lighter?” she asked, heart pounding in her chest.

“Of course,” the tall woman replied, handing it over to the short girl.

“Hey everyone,” she announced, nervous to have all attention on her. “Watch this, my dad showed me this when I was young.” Kneeling down, she bent the wires and tucked them in the holes of her shoes where the laces were meant to go. Flicking the lighter, she carefully lit the ends of the sparklers. They began hissing and shooting sparks and she swallowed through the anxious lump in her throat.

“Don’t try this at home!” Peridot cried before taking off running through the yard. The sparklers on her shoes spun in circles as she ran. The light from the flares glowed across the barnyard without illuminating her body, making it appear as if the fiery particles were alive and moving on their own. Everybody cheered and whooped and she grinned widely in the darkness, pleased to impress her new friends.

The fire soon went out and Peridot returned to the group. Amethyst laughed and gave her a high five, Jasper clapped her on the shoulder, and Lapis pulled her into a quick hug while the others applauded and praised the trick. The commotion died down soon after and everyone settled back onto their blankets for round two of fireworks.

The night progressed and the temperature dropped. When Peridot began to shiver, Lapis shed her hoodie and draped it around the blonde’s shoulders despite her objections. At eleven thirty, Topaz carried a sleeping Aquamarine back to her Range Rover and bid everyone a quiet goodbye. Garnet lit a bottle rocket as she drove down the driveway and a muted honk was heard in response.

Peridot was just starting to nod off when Lapis shook her.

“Hey, don’t fall asleep yet. Garnet’s about to start the finale,” she murmured, excitement lacing her usually emotionless voice.

The blonde perked up at that. “The what?”

“Just watch.”

The short girl pressed into Lapis’ side, buzzing with joy. Garnet lit what looked to be a large box and scurried to sit with Pearl and Amethyst.

The rocket that burst out was massive and magnificent. Azure blue, it soared into the sky before exploding with violence and grace that made even Jasper ooh and ahh. Flare after flare shot out with timed rhythm before the true end came; a clump of dozens of rockets shooting skyward and bursting one after another like something from a movie.

Peridot caught movement from from the corner of her vision and looked away from the mid air spectacle to see Blue grabbing Yellow by the collar. She pulled the girl’s head down to hers to kiss her deeply in the glow of the fireworks. As if it were New Year’s, Garnet too leaned down to kiss Pearl before parting and doing the same to Amethyst.

The blonde’s eyes flickered to the girl beside her. With a deep breath, Peridot shuffled to her knees, bracing herself on Lapis’ shoulders and bringing her face close. The blue-haired woman’s crystalline orbs widened in surprise, locking with Peridot’s. Her cheeks flushed bright red and Lapis grinned smugly.

“Shut up,” she muttered before capturing the taller girl’s lips with her own. Her movements were tentative and awkward but Lapis smiled into the kiss, hands curling around Peridot’s waist. The embrace was gentle and slow, not pushing or deepening, and the short girl felt affection swell her chest, electricity in her veins.

The fireworks display came to a close with one final ricocheting boom and Peridot reluctantly pulled away from the blue-haired girl’s lips like a starving man turning down a six course meal. Not yet ready to let go, she pressed her forehead against Lapis’, breathlessly gazing into warm sapphire pools as deep as the ocean.

“Alright! Get it, Peri!” Jasper hooted from across the yard. Lapis rolled her eyes and Peridot snickered quietly despite her embarrassment.

The Zircons then stood, Blue shivering heavily. “I think somebody’s getting cold,” Yellow taunted playfully.

Jasper pulled her phone from her pocket to check the time. “It’s only midnight. You guys wanna head in and play some poker? I brought cash if you scaredy cats are in a betting mood.”

“Oh, it’s on, dude!” Amethyst retorting, racing the muscular woman to the house with the Rutile twins in tow.

Pearl objected, stopping Yellow before she could walk by. “We can’t go inside yet! If we all combine our efforts, we should be able to clean everything up by twelve thirty-”

She was cut of by Garnet placing a hand on her shoulder. “We can do it tomorrow.”

“Wha-? No, wait! Wait, Garnet!” Pearl stammered, following the other woman striding toward the house.

“Don’t stay out too late, kids!” the taller woman called out from the patio to the two girls remaining in the yard.

Realizing they were still holding each other, Peridot finally untangled herself from Lapis, scooting back to her side of their shared blanket. Suddenly alone together, the silence was oppressive. Cicadas buzzed in the trees and neither of them spoke for some time, awkwardly looking anywhere but each other.

Eyes wandering to the sky, an idea popped into Peridot’s head. “H-hey, do you want me to show you some constellations?”

Lapis looked surprised but nodded. “Sure,” she replied as she got to her feet.

The blonde stood and dashed into the barnyard, head craned skyward. She extended a small hand forward, motioning to a w-shaped pattern of stars in the northeast. “See that group right there?” she asked, glancing back at Lapis. The blue-haired girl squinted for a moment before nodding. “That’s Cassiopeia, queen of Aethiopia in Greek mythology.”

Lapis smiled, pointing toward a bright asterism high in the western sky. “Cool. I know that one. The Big Dipper, right?”

“Well, sort of…” Peridot began, taking a few steps to get a better view. The Big Dipper is only part of its constellation, Ursa Major, or the Great Bear. See down below the bowl of the dipper, those front and back legs?”

The lithe girl followed the other, staring up into the dark night. “Yeah, I see them, and its head. But why does it have a long tail?”

“Uhh, I don’t know. Maybe bears in ancient Greece had tails?” Peridot smiled as Lapis laughed, turning to the east. “Over there is Cygnus, the Swan. It’s the big, sort of cross-shaped guy there. And next to it, that really bright star is Vega in the constellation of Lyra. And if you take Vega with Deneb at the rear of Cygnus and Altair from Aquilla down there, it makes the asterism called the Summer Triangle!”

Lapis watched Peridot’s in-depth explanation with amusement and affection, smirking at the bubbly enthusiasm shining in her wide, shamrock green eyes. She hadn’t even known the girl a week ago and she was already attached to her. A devious thought came to her and she nodded toward the sky above the driveway. “Hey, what about that one in the south?” she asked as innocently as she could.

“Oh, you mean Scorpius?”

“I don’t think that’s what that is…” she goaded, a small smile playing about her lips.

“I’m sure of it! That twinkly red star there is the heart of the scorpion, a red supergiant called Antares. It’s also a variable star, you can tell from the way the brightness fluctuates.”

“No, I’m pretty certain that one is called Peridot-will-you-go-out-with-me…” Lapis quipped playfully, grinning at the flustered shock painted across the girl’s face.

After a moment Peridot nodded slowly. “Why, yes, you’re absolutely right!” she replied, playing along with the game. “That is indeed the newly-discovered constellation of Peridot-will-you-go-out-with-me! And if you look a little to the right, you can also see it’s partner, Of-course-I’ll-go-out-with-you-Lapis!”

The blue-haired girl threw her arms around the other woman, grinning and spinning her around before pecking a chaste kiss on her lips. The two spent the rest of the night lying in the grass talking about the stars and their favourite colours and their lives, hand in hand until the sun began to rise.

And even long after the night rolled into the next day, Lapis and Peridot never let go.


End file.
